1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disk device for loading of a disk. More particularly, the present invention relates to a disk device which is loaded with a disk, and can be shaped in a compact size according to space saving.
2. Description Related to the Prior Art
A disk device or disk drive is an instrument in which an optical disk is rotated on a turntable by a spindle motor. An optical pickup or optical pickup head is shifted by a thread motor to record data to the disk at a high density, or to read data from the disk for playback. There are various uses of the disk device. For example, the disk device can be incorporated in an electronic device such as a computer main unit, or can be externally connected to the electronic device.
Examples of the disk device include a slot-in type and a tray type. In the slot-in type, a housing of the disk device has an insertion slot. The tray type includes a disk tray for loading the disk. In the slot-in type, a reader/writer for recording and playback is contained in the housing. The disk is inserted through the insertion slot in the housing for loading. In the tray type, the reader/writer is incorporated in the disk tray. The disk tray is movable between an open position and a closed position, and when in the open position, pulled out of the housing, and when in the closed position, contained in the housing. The disk is placed on the disk tray in the open position before the disk tray is moved in to the closed position.
The size of the disk device should be reduced in order to reduce the entire size of the personal computer. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,862,116 and 5,878,012 (corresponding to JP-B 2956470 and JP-A 7-254119) disclose the disk device in which one side of the disk tray is cutout for partially protruding the disk externally. The housing is constituted by a body case or containing region and a cover. There is a space defined under the cover so as to enable incorporation of relevant parts by space saving. The body case contains the cover in the closed position and right and left guide rails for guiding movement of the disk tray. The cover covers the protruding portion of the disk beside the body case.
There is an attempt of further space saving even for the disk device of U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,862,116 and 5,878,012. For example, it is conceivable to reduce the width of the body case and enlarge the width of the cover where a lower space is defined. The right and left guide rails are disposed on sides of the body case for guiding movement of the disk tray. In a conventional structure, a lead screw for moving the optical pickup is disposed on the right side of the spindle motor. The thread motor for driving the lead screw is also disposed on the right side from the center of the spindle motor for the disk. The right guide rail is disposed between the thread motor and a right side wall extending from the cover of the body case. A problem arises in that reduction in the width of the body case makes it impossible to dispose the right guide rail, because a space between the right side wall and the thread motor is too small.
A direction of moving the optical pickup with the spindle motor may be changed to define a space with the right guide rail by separating the right side wall. However, the reader/writer will extend longer in the backward direction than the well-known structure if the lateral width of the disk device is maintained in changing the moving direction of the optical pickup. A problem arises in a size of the disk device will be great in the front-to-back direction.